Pneumatic-despatch-tube apparatus.



J. G. MAGLAREN. PNBUMATIG DESPATGH TUBE APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED com, 190s.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1,076,987. Patented oct. 28, 191s.

J; G. MACLAREN. PNEUMATIG DESPATGH TUBE 1}.IPARAIUS.4 APPLIoATIoN FILED oom, 1908.

Patented Oct. 28, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. G. MACLAREN.

PNBUMATIG DESPATGH TUBE APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED ooT.s. 190s.

1,076,987. Patented o@t.28,1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

26 fee 7 ze@ e@ 3/ 3'/ @2 35 4/ ,zo J

5 o "4 505 /5 o G a0 :5' my L 4J? 55 i Z/znesaes.' Tannen-Z074 JAMES G. MACLAREN, 0F HARRISON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB. TO THE 'LAMSON COMPANY, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, .A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Lorena?.

vSpecification .of Letters Patent.

v PNEUMATIC-DESPATCH-TUBE APPARATUS.

Patented 0ct.28,1913.

Application led October 5, 1908. Serial No. 456,188.

5 tain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic-Despatch-Tube Apparatus, of' which the following is a specification.,

' Myinvention relates to improvements in pneumatic despatch tube apparatus and its object is to provide a simplel and eflicient vdevice for normally maintaining the air current short circuited to the blower or pump and to switch said air current through the transit tubes when it is desired to transmit a carrier. y

Means are also provided for suitably timing and limiting the flow of air through the transit tubes to the interval necessary forV the transmission of the carrier.

In the accompanying drawings is illustrated a construction embodying my invention in which,-

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a circuit of pneumatic transit tubes connected with a constantly operating blower and showing the device in operating connection therewith. Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation partly in section showing the normal position of the controlling mechanism with the 30 air current short circuited to the blower. Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 2 showing the position of the parts with the air current switched through the transit tubes for despatching a carrier. Fig. 4 is a view showing the air valve locking mechanism in released position.

Like characters of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to Fig. 1, the transmission tube 1 connects the central station C with the ordinary delivery terminal 2 controlled by the usual valve 3 at the sub-station S. 4 is a lreturn tube connecting the terminal 2 with a delivery terminal 6 controlled by a 45 valve 7 at t-he central station C. 8 is an air tube connecting the terminal 6 with a conduit 9, one end of said conduit'being connected with thelow pressure or vacuum connected to a constantly operating blower 10 driven through a belt 12 by an electric motor 11. lThe opposite end' of said conduit 9 has a. normally open air inlet 13 through which air is short circuited to the blower 10 causing the same to operate practicallyV unloaded. 1a is the usual bell mouth or air inlet for inserting carriers-into tube 1 for transmlssionand 5 1s the usual despatching inlet at sub-station S for inserting carriers into transit tube 4.

The controlling mechanism (see Figs. 2 and 3) consists ofa diaphragm casing 19 suitably supported above the inlet 13 by legs 2O secured to the end of conduit 9.

phragm is a rod 15 which passes out through a bearing in the lower chamber and carries secured thereto the collars 16 and 17, between which is mounted a leather valve 14adapted to move on the rod 15 between said'collars. Two valves 28 are mounted in the lower part of casing 19 and are adapted to-admit air into the chamber 23 through apertures 33 and ports 30 when lifted from their seat by collar 16 as hereinafter described. When the collar 16 is-notI acting to hold the valves 28 open, said valves are held seated by means of springs 31 between washers 32f=L and knobs 32.

24 is an air outlet from chamber 23 and is covered by flap valve 25. 26 is an air inlet to said chamber and is partially restricted by an' adjustable timing valve 27.

Connecting the chamber 21 with the conduit 9 is a tube 22 having located therein, adjacent said conduit 9, an air inlet 34 normally closed by a valve 35 secured Vto one end of a bell crank lever 36. Mounted on the opposite end of said lever 36 is an armature 37 adapted to be operated by a magnet 38 when `energized to open said valve.

The valve 14 is normally held above the air inlet 13 by a lever 40 pivoted at 31 to one of the legs 2O the upper end of which lever engages the collar 16 when in the position shown in Fig. 2. The lower end of this lever 40 carries a slot 50, in which is movably mounted one end of a link 39, the opposite end of which is connected with lthe lower end of bell crank lever 36. Y

51 is a spring adapted to normallv hold lever 40 in the position shown in Fig. 2, while the slot 50 permits the movement of said lever without opening the valve 35. f 53 is a spring latch adapted to engage and retain the finger 52 when valve 35 is opened and 54 is a releasing member secured to collar 16 and adaptedtol release said finger 52 and valve when collar 16 Yhas assumed the position shown in Fig. 4.

45 is a normally open switch having a trip 4G projecting into the bell-mouth 1a and in circuit with magnet 36 and battery B through .wires c', d, c, a and Y).

47 `,is a normally open switch adapted to be closed upon the opening of the inlet and is in circuit with magnet 38 and battery B through wires f, a, e, d and g.

The operation is as followsz-The apparatus is normally in the position shown Ain Figs. 1 and 2 with `the air entering the inletJ `13 through conduit 9 directly to the blower 10 permitting the same to `operate unloaded. The operator in despatching a carrier Jr'rom ythe central station C to the sub-station S inserts the ycarrier into the bell-mouth `1a where it engages lthe trip .46 closing the switch 45 vand through the .circuits herein Abefore described energizing the magnet 3S, attracting the armature 37, opening valve 35 .and ythrough link 89 moving the lever 40, thereby releasing the collar 16 allo-wing the rod 15 and valve 14 to drop, covering the inlet 13 and shutting oilE the flow of air therethrough. The `finger 52 in the meantime has been retained by spring latch 53 `holding valve 35 .open (see Fig. Simultaneous rwith the dropping of the collar 1G, valves 28 are closed by springs 31 and the air in the chamber 23 is exhausted through the outlet 24 until ,the rod 15 and collars 16 and 17 have dropped to the position shown in Fig. 3. rlhe opening .of the valve 35 admits ai-r through tube 22 to chamber 21 preventing the formation of a vacuum in chamber 21 until the said valve has vclosed by ine-ans of member 54 operating latch 53 releasing finger 52 (see Fig. 4). The air enters the bell-.mouth driving the carrier thro-ugh the ytube 1 upon the closure of the inlet 13. As soon as valve 35 closes, however, the vacuum in the conduit 9 acts tlirough the tube V22 and chambers 21 .toA

gradually lift the diaphragm 18 rod 15 and collars 1G and 17 until by the time the `carrier has delivered at the sub-station S, the collar 1T has engaged the valve 14 lifting Ithe same from the inlet 13 (to the position l shown in Fig. 2) causing the air to be short circuited through said inlet to rthe blower 10. The collar 16 is now engaged by the:

lever 4G which retains the valve 14 open. The movement of the diaphragm 18 and rod 15 is timed by the-air entering the restricted passage 26 so that the valve 14 will open after the delivery of lthe carrier, said movemen-t being regulated by adjusting the valve 1 2,7. To facilitate the lifting of valve 14 against the vacuum in conduit 9, the collar 16 is arranged to engage knobs 32, just previous to the collar 17 engaging the valve 14, thereby opening the valves 28 freely admittingatmospheric pressure which causes the diaphragm 18 to jump upward suddenly, the impact of the collar 17 throwing the valve 14 forcibly `:trom its seat. ln despatching a carrier from the sub-station S to the central station C the operation is identical with the exception that the opening of the inlet 5 operates the switch 47 to energize the magnet 38 and permitting the closure of the valve 14, whereby the flow of air is switched through bell-mouth 1a, transit tubes 1 and 4 and tube 8 tothe conduit 9, driving the carrier toward the station C. Upon the' closingof :the inlet 5 the magnet 38 is denergized and the mechanisin acts to time the openingof the valve 14 and-consequent short circuiting of air to the blower 10. Y

Having thus 4described `my invention and set forth aconstruction embodying the same, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a pneumaticy despatch tube apparatus, a tube for ythe transmission of carriers, a blower or pump, means for driving said blower orpump, a conduit connecting said transmission ltube with the intake of said blower or pump provided with an air Ainlet adapted to normally :short fcircuit the flow of air to said blower or pump, a normally open valve adapted [to control said inlet, means for normally retaining said `valve open, means adapted to be operated u pon the despatching of a carrier for releasing said retaining means to permit the closure of said air valve to switch the flow of air through said transmission tube for driving said carrier therethrough, and means under the control `of the vacuum in said conduit for positively and abruptly opening` said air valve after a predetermined interval to short circuit the yflow of air through said inlet thereby relieving the load on said blower or pump, said -last mentioned means including a chamber having a wall thereof movable to vary the pressure in said chamber and a valve movable through the instrumentality of said wall for abruptly changing the pressure in said chamber whereby said wall may move more freely thereafter.

2. In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a tube for the transmission o'l carriers, a blower or pump, meansy for driving said blower or pump, a conduit connect-ing said transmission tube with the intalre of said blower or pump provided with an air inlet adapted to normally short circuit the How of air to said blower or pump, a normally open valve `adapted to control said inlet, means for normally retaining said valve open, means adapted to be operated upon the despatch of a carrier for releasing said retaining means to permit the closure ,of said air valve to switch the flow of air through said transmission tube for driving said carrier therethrough, means under the control of the vacuum in said conduit for timing the opening of said air valve whereby the air is short circuited through said conduit relieving the load upon said blower or pump, and means for suddenly accelerating the action of said timing means after the lapse of a determined period.

3. In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a tube for the transmission of carriers, a normally short-circuited blower or pump, means for driving said blower or pump, mechanism -for causing said blower or pump to establish a carrier propelling current of air in said tube for a substantially determined period of time, said mechanism including a valve adapted to control the shortcircuiting of said blower or pump, and means for closing and positively and abruptly opening said valve.

4. In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a tube for the transmission of carriers, a normally short-circuited blower or pump, means for driving said blower or pump, mechanism for causing said blower or pump to establish a carrier propelling current of air in said tube for a substantially determined period of time, said mechanism including a valve adapted to control the short-circuiting of said blower or pump, a latch for normally holding said valve open, pneumatically operated means for moving said valve to its open position in which said latch may become operative and means for releasing said valve to Vpermit it to close, said last mentioned means including an electric circuit having therein an electro-magnetic device for actuating said latch.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this twenty-first day of September, A. D. 1908.

JAMES G. MACLAREN. Y

Witnesses:

ELsm MAGLAREN, LOUIS M. LANMAN.

Copies of this patent may. be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner` of Patents. Washington, 1)..0. 

